4.6 Access to quality services
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Housing
Housing autonomy is important in a variety of ways: it goes hand in hand with adult roles, such as managing a household without the support of third parties (parents); it is usually a prerequisite for building a more stable relationship or even starting a new family; it is an important event on a symbolic level, as it indicates a significant change in the relationship between children and parents. Also, when young people do not have the necessary means to obtain housing autonomy, although they would like to, they may miss out on significant job opportunities or educational opportunities that would require greater mobility on their part. Finally, it is important to note that according to the Greek Constitution "the acquisition of housing by those who are deprived of it or who are inadequately housed is an object of special care of the State" (Constitution 1975, No. 21, Par.4). In other words, the state must take all necessary measures—at the legislative, administrative, and financial level—to ensure access to adequate housing for all vulnerable and marginalised groups, as well as for all those affected by natural or other disasters. (floods, earthquakes, etc.).
Youth 17-27, Strategic Framework For The Empowerment of Youth has defined the following goals that are relevant to the social inclusion of the youth:
Goal 1.5: Ensuring access to a decent and adequate home
1.5.1: Implementation of measures to support rental housing for students as well as for vulnerable groups of young people (e.g., unemployed, disabled, immigrants, Roma, etc.).
1.5.5: Improving the living conditions of young prisoners.
1.5.7: More measures to address homelessness and support the homeless.
Monitoring Indicators
• The number of young people who benefit and the amount of government spending on rented housing support measures
• The number of available dormitory rooms and/or the number of benefactor students
• Carrying out evaluation surveys-on an annual and mandatory basis-, which will measure the degree of satisfaction of students in relation to their living conditions in dormitories.
• The number of young couples who benefit from the implementation of housing policy and family life support measures, as well as the amount of relevant government spending
Social services
According to Youth 17-27, Strategic Framework For The Empowerment of Youth, it is a fact that in modern societies there are significant differences in the way young people enjoy a range of social, economic, and political goods. In fact, a significant portion of the young population today experiences severe social exclusion with unequal opportunities in a number of areas, such as education, the labour market, and, more generally, decent living.
Social inclusion also means that vulnerable groups and individuals gain greater opportunities to participate in decision-making processes on issues that affect their lives, while at the same time gaining access to fundamental rights.
Among the young people most likely to be socially excluded are the following categories:
• Young people with disabilities or chronic diseases.
• Youth on the verge of poverty.
• Young homeless people.
• Young immigrants, as well as young asylum seekers and international protection recipients.
• Young Roma.
• Young people with addiction problems.
• Young offenders, detained and released.
• Young human trafficking victims
• Young people who engage in violent or even radicalised (anti-democratic) behavior.
• Young people who face multiple forms of discrimination based on their gender, race, nationality or ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, and so on.
• Specific categories of young women (such as underage mothers).
• Young people who are not in education, training, or the labour force
It is understandable that in order to prevent and address the social exclusion of the above vulnerable and/or disadvantaged groups, a comprehensive approach is required with horizontal and coordinated interventions at the earliest possible stages, in order to avoid irreversible situations.
In the framework of the strategic framework, the following sub-goals have been set, which are related to the social welfare of young people:
Sub-goal 6.1: Ensuring equal opportunities for young people with disabilities or chronic diseases
Sub-goal 6.2: Combating discrimination against young people regardless of gender, sexual orientation, and gender identity.
Sub-goal 6.3: Ensuring equal rights for young people with religious or cultural backgrounds, immigrants, and asylum seekers.
Sub-goal 6.4: Lowering levels of violence, intimidation, delinquency, and violent (anti-democratic) radicalization of young people, and improving treatment of delinquent young people
Sub-goal 6.5: Support for young people at risk and in adverse conditions.
Health care
1. Ιn promoting mental and sexual health, sports, physical activity, and a healthy lifestyle.
2. Injury prevention and treatment, eating disorders, addictions, and substance abuse
3. Nutritional education
4. Fostering partnerships among schools, youth counselors, health professionals, and sports organizations
5. In youth health care structures,
6. Raising young people's awareness of sport as a tool for fostering teamwork, intercultural learning, and a sense of responsibility.
In order for young people to take full advantage of their potential and to maintain, in their adulthood, the habits of a healthy lifestyle, we must help them to have good physical and mental health and to be socially and emotionally resilient. By emphasizing, from adolescence, prevention and improving the quality of care, we create those conditions that will allow young people to be healthy and have a good quality of life.
At the same time, we contribute to the creation of supportive conditions for young people by strengthening interpersonal, harmonious, and equal relationships, with particular emphasis on respecting and valuing their personalities. The following subgoals are relevant to the concept of the strategy:
Subgoal 4.1: The provision of health services (health promotion, disease prevention, and clinical care) on the basis of equal and universal access to all young people living in our country.
Subgoal 4.2: Encourage young people to be in good physical shape and have a healthy lifestyle.
Subgoal 4.3: Access to and improvement of young people's mental health care services regardless of their place of residence.
Subgoal 4.4: Strengthening the social and emotional health of young people.
Financial services
According to the National Strategy for Social Inclusion and Poverty Reduction, which was published in 2021, there are some interesting measures exploring financial services.
Policy Priorities: Access to adequate resources
Objectives of Social Integration: Combating the risk of poverty and the problem of homelessness; access to affordable housing.
Defending against discrimination and preventing social exclusion
Strengthening Family Protection Mechanisms and Preventing and Combating Child Poverty
Measure 1.1.11: Financial support for students
1.1.11.3 Financial assistance programme for hardworking students from socially vulnerable groups.
The Greek State Scholarship Foundation (IKY), in the framework of the Act "Financial Assistance Program for diligent students belonging to Vulnerable Social Groups (academic year 2019-2020) and in application of the Regulations of the Programme, announced 2,150 undergraduate scholarships to diligent students who study in higher education institutions in the country and belong to vulnerable and other social groups.
Applicants, in order to be evaluated for the scholarship, had to meet conditions such as:
a) The candidate is orphaned by both parents, unless he or she is over the age of 25.
b) The Candidate has three or more children and was a dependent family member.
c) The Candidate is a dependent child of a single parent.
d) The candidate is a Greek citizen and a member of the Muslim Minority of Thrace.
e) The candidate is Roma.
f) The candidate is a refugee.
g) The candidate has a disability of at least 50% during the 2019-2020 academic year.
Quality assurance
The coordinating administrative body for coordination and monitoring of Youth 17-27, Strategic Framework For The Empowerment of Youth is the General Secretariat for Vocational Education, Training, Lifelong Learning and Youth and assumes the following responsibilities:
• Develops the National Strategy for Youth Policy Implementation.
• Consults stakeholders.
• Captures the results of the consultations.
• Μakes recommendations at the legislative or soft policy levels.
• Confirms and, if necessary, intervenes in the ministries' decisions, instructions, and actions in order to develop potentially necessary synergies and ensure alignment with the Strategy "Youth '17-27" objectives.
• Monitors and evaluates, in cooperation with the ministries, the results of the implementation of the policies based on the indicators that have been defined.
• Monitors and participates in the development and implementation of national, European, and international youth policies.
• Represents government policy on youth issues in international and European organisations' institutions and committees (EU, Council of Europe, UN, UNESCO, etc.) and develops synergies with similar bodies at the European and international levels.
• Prepares the annual progress report on youth issues.
• Participates and coordinates the newly established inter-ministerial cooperation body for the updating of the "Youth '17 -27" Strategy.
The quality control of the National Strategy for Social Integration and Poverty Reduction 2021 is carried out by the national mechanism. The planning, information, monitoring, evaluation, and coordination of the overall social policy of the state for the vulnerable groups of the population in all aspects and levels of administration is a national imperative. Strengthening social protection is imperative in order to effectively coordinate and co-operate with all relevant bodies at governmental and local levels, to strengthen social dialogue through consultative bodies, and to eliminate critical policy areas.
Monitoring, coordination and evaluation will enable the long-term planning of social protection, the dissemination of information, innovation and best practice, enhanced transparency and the fight against customer relations and corruption in the field of social solidarity. The above objectives are pursued by the national mechanism, which is described in detail in section: 4.2 Administration and governance.